Sir Handel
Sir Handel *'Number': 3 *'Builder': Falcon Works *'Configuration': 0-4-2ST, originally 0-4-0ST *'Arrived on Sodor': 1903 Sir Handel, named after the Skarloey Railway's first owner, Sir Handel Brown I - but previously Falcon, after the works where he was made - is a narrow-gauge tank engine. Bio in the Railway Series Falcon was built at Falcon Works, Loughborough, for the Mid Sodor Railway. He was a 0-4-0ST, causing him to bounce until he was rebuilt with a rear pony truck. When the Mid Sodor Railway closed in 1947, he and Stuart were sold to the aluminium works at Peel Godred for an expansion project. They were sheeted at the project's close for almost a year, then both were purchased for a total of fifty pounds by the Skarloey Railway and renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively. Sir Handel did not cope well with the worn track on the railway and would often derail - sometimes deliberately. He was given a pair of special wheels with broad tyres to cure this problem, dubbed "steamroller wheels" by the other engines. In 1983, Sir Handel visited the Talyllyn Railway to help while Talyllyn was being mended. Sir Handel had plenty of adventures there, like pulling a wedding train and having to wear an eyepatch after colliding with a tree at Nant Gwernol. When Peter Sam was brought back from the Talyllyn Railway early during a visit in 1995 Sir Handel became jealous and as a protest deliberately knocked out his firebars. He was sent to the shed and began to fear that he would never come out after weeks went by and no one came to see him. When the Thin Controller came in one day Sir Handel confessed and asked for a second chance. Sir Handel got his firebars later that day - no one bothered to tell him that they had only just arrived. He is presently on the Talyllyn Railway. Bio in the television series Falcon and Stuart lived with Duke until their line was closed and they were bought by the Skarloey Railway and were renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively. Upon arriving, Sir Handel had many adventures. He was derailed by his own coaches when he stopped too quickly in front of some sheep. Sir Handel was also very pompous and refused to do his job well, so he was sent to the sheds for a while to repent. After coming back out, he got into a fight with George the steamroller, which ended in a race with George smashing Sir Handel's trucks. Sir Handel didn't reappear until years later, apparently because he was working in the stone quarry. When he returned, he had a much different attitude. He did his jobs without complaining, and had trouble getting up hills. He is also wiser in most situations, but in some cases he is still pompous. Persona Sir Handel is sometimes pompous and arrogant and thinks that pulling trucks is beneath him, and will do anything to get out of jobs he does not want to do. He can be rude and stubborn, and he has been known to insult Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, Jemima and Beatrice by calling them "cattle trucks" and Ada, Jane and Mabel (because they were roofless at the time) by calling them "trucks". Basis Sir Handel is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Sir Haydn. Livery In the Railway Series, Sir Handel was painted blue until coming to work on the Skarloey Railway, where he was painted in the Skarloey Railway's red livery and blue-and-yellow lining. In the television series, he is painted blue with red and yellow lining. Appearances Merchandising * ERTL (normal, Falcon, and metallic; discontinued) * Learning Curve Wooden (two versions; discontinued) * Take-Along * Take-n-Play * TOMY/TrackMaster (normal and "Sir Handel in Charge") * My Thomas Story Library * Bandai Tecs * Di Agostini * Brio (discontinued) Gallery Image:SirHandelpirate.jpg|Sir Handel wearing his eyepatch in Great Little Engines Image:Falcon.jpg File:ASmoothRide10.png|Sir Handel's number three File:ABadDayforSirHandel17.png File:ABadDayforSirHandel33.png|Sir Handel derails Image:SirHandel.png Image:SirHandelpromo.jpg|Promotional shot of Sir Handel File:SleepingBeauty31.png File:Thomas'TrickyTree2.jpg File:YouCan'tWin7.jpg File:ABadDayforSirHandel31.png|Sir Handel at the station File:ABadDayforSirHandel32.png File:Thomas'TrickyTree27.png File:SirHandelinCharge5.jpg File:SpecialFunnel10.jpg File:ABadDayforSirHandel6.jpg File:Bulldog4.jpg File:Bulldog5.jpg|Falcon dangles over the edge File:FourLittleEngines6.jpg|Sir Handel and some sheep File:PeterSamandtheRefreshmentLady9.jpg File:Steamroller4.jpg File:SirHandel.jpg Image:SirHandelnameplate.png|Sir Handel's nameplate with Rheneas' face Image:ERTLSirHandel.jpg|ERTL model File:OldwoodenSirHandel.gif File:newwoodenSirHandel.jpg Image:SirHandelinChargeTrackmaster.jpg|Sir Handel in Charge TrackMaster set Image:Briosirhandel.jpg|Brio Image:DiAgostiniSirHandel.PNG|Di Agostini File:Take-n-PlaySirHandel.jpg|Take-n-Play File:TrackMasterSirHandel.jpg|TrackMaster File:SirHandelStoryLibrarybook.jpg|Story library book Category:Skarloey Railway Category:Mid Sodor Railway Category:Steam locomotives Category:Narrow gauge engines